English National Surfing Championships 2015

by Nog Competition news General Club News Groms Surf Profiles


Taylor ENSC2015


 

Watergate Bay in Newquay hosted the English National Surfing Championships last weekend and it was pleasing to see some of our members stepping into the fray. Taylor Bairds, entering his first major competition, made a great start in progressing through his first heat in the Boys Under-14’s. He was soon back in the water again in the Under-12’s division and suffered the disappointment of missing out on a place in the final by a mere 0.2 of a point. He later fell at the quarter final stage of the Under-14’s, but came back up the beach fired with enthusiasm and eagerly anticipating his next contest. It can take a while to find your feet in the contest surfing world – but Taylor has the skill and determination to take his place on the scene!

In the Under-18 Boys division, Harry De Roth produced a series of winning displays, culminating in a massive 16.3 score to win the final and retain the title he won last year. He also earned a 16 point score in the first round of the Mens Open, including a 9.2 ride which equalled the best single wave score of the weekend. He fell out of contention with a third place in the semi final, his only defeat of the weekend. Defending Mens Champion, Jayce Robinson also fell in the semis after powering through the early rounds with convincing wins.

 A live interview with Harry after the Under-18 final

 

Harry Takes The Winner's Prize

Harry Takes The Under-18 Boys Winner’s Prize

 

So, there’s much encouragement to be drawn from the standard of surfing produced by our surfers last weekend. We look forward to the coming season with great optimism for those three, and a keen eye out for others in the club who may be ready to join them on the contest scene.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big Spring Beach Clean 2015

Big Spring Beach Clean 2015

by Nog General Club News Groms

A fine turnout of club members answered the call to support Surfers Against Sewage’s Big Spring Beach Clean 2015 at Porthmeor on Saturday. It was a morning that demanded wet weather clothing and a commitment to the cause, so it was heartening to see so many of our families joining other public-minded St. Ives folk at the saintsboardriders gazebo to help clean the beach and lower cliffs of litter. Our main picture shows the pickers with their haul after one sweep of the beach.

 

A broad sweep from West Beach

A broad sweep from West Beach

 

Chris Rainsford of Surfers Against Sewage and Harris of the St. Ives Surf School welcomed the volunteers with introductory addresses about the work of SAS .They described the varieties of litter we would find on the beach,  it’s provenance and the dangers it poses to beach users and marine wildlife. Then, with gloves and bags distributed to all, we set off to tackle what already appeared to be a clean beach.

 

Dropped from the car park or washed in from the sea?

Dropped from the car park or washed in from the sea?

 

Porthmeor is a beach which is cleaned all-year-round, yet it still rendered all those bags of garbage when tackled by an army of pickers with a fine toothcomb! It is troubling to imagine the amount of flotsam and jetsam which could be found on more remote cliffs and beaches by a similar team. And that, in itself, tells us why we must support the work of Surfers Against Sewage!

 

 

 

Big Kids Comp Report – 2014

Big Kids Comp Report – 2014

by Nog Competition news General Club News Groms Surf Club Events

The last day of British Summertime for 2014 offered our best chance to hold the final club competition of the year and find our junior champ. There was a good turnout from groups 5,6 and 7 all keen to show off their chops in some very surfable waves. The judging criteria was strictly International Surfing rules, unlike the earlier nippers’ event, but the competitors were undaunted and worked hard on their turns to impress the judges.

A distinguished panel of judges

After the opening round and repechage , the seeded surfers made their entry into procedings and pushed the standard of surfing to a higher level with some big drops and critical turns on the green waves on offer out back.

Lilly completing her ride

 

 

Jay looking for points

Harry trimming

 

 

There were some close heats bringing elation and disappointment in equal measure, but the quality of sportsmanship and goodwill toward fellow competitors was a credit to all participants.

 

 

 

Good effort mate!

The final itself was contested between Taylor Bairds, Jack Tarplee, Matt Burrell and Josh Martindale. Josh got off to a flyer with two strong scores in the opening five minutes, and could  not improve on them as the other guys worked their way back finding good waves of their own. As the final hooter sounded his lead had held by a mere 0.3 of a point. Close one that! Jack Tarplee claimed second, Matt third and Taylor fourth.

There were no losers on the day as all surfers received their SurfingGB Junior surf scheme certificates for achieving level 1 this summer.

 

 

 

Charlie Smith collects his SurfingGB certificate

Charlie Smith collects his SurfingGB certificate

Then RNLI supervisor Lloyd Davies and Porthmeor Head Lifeguard, James Symons made their awards to the groms who had shown the most initiative in aiding the lifeguarding of the beach this season, with the overall trophy awarded to Matt Burrell.

 

Lifeguard trophy winner Matt Burrell

 

Charley Fox claimed the Girls Trophy for the highest finishing girl on the day –  a well-deserved reward for the hours of training she has dedicated to the sport this year!

 

Girls Champion Charley Fox

 

And the main prize and new wetsuit courtesy of  Tregenna Castle, went to Josh Martindale. Well done Josh!

 

The Champion with his swag!

The Champion with his swag!

Saintsboardriders thank Porthmeor Beach management and St. Ives Surf School for their continuing support for our club. Six years on from our rebirth on the beach we have over 120 Junior members and our Saturday Morning Surf Club is a sight to behold as those yellow-vested kids are led through their warm-up routines at the waters’ edge. Thanks also to all the volunteer instructors who give their time freely to club days, and to the Porthmeor RNLI lifeguards for their help and support.

Prizes for this years’ contest were donated by Robies Robes, Rip Curl, Tregenna Castle, Tombstone Surf, Off The Beaten Track, Natural Balance and Windansea. We ask our members,friends and supporters to show their appreciation of this generosity by supporting these local businesses with their custom.

And a bumper reward for readers who have got to the end of this report! Here’s gallery of photos from the competition! Enjoy.

 


































 

 

 

 

British Juniors 2014

British Juniors 2014

by Nog Competition news General Club News Groms

Saints Boardriders’ most active competitor, Harry De Roth, has had a busy September, culminating last weekend in him retaining his British Boys Under-16’s title at the National Championships at Fistral. The first half of the month was spent in The Azores, where Harry represented England in the Under-16 boys against the cream of European juniors. Although it was a double elimination format, Harry progressed smoothly to the Grand Final without needing the safety net of a second life! He finished fourth in the final, cementing his arrival at the upper echelon of the European scene. With many highly-rated international juniors below him it was a ground-breaking result, though Harry’s disappointment at not winning the event spoke volumes about his competitive drive!

Back home last weekend, the British juniors enjoyed some contestable waves and produced some fine surfing under blue skies at Fistral. Dan Harmon made a couple of heats in the Under-18’s, and Charley Fox had a bold go at the Under-14 Girls, being squeezed narrowly  into third place by the end of the heat. So by the middle of Sunday afternoon Harry was the sole remaining Saints Boardrider in competition. He won every heat en route to the Under-16 final, and quickly established control there. A late slashing ride by Angus Scotney then seemed to take the crown from Harry, but with admirable cool he took a long lefthander at the buzzer, bashing out a series of vertical turns for an excellent score of 8 which clinched the win.

He was soon returning to the water for the Under-18’s final, where he again held the lead throughout, but this time the twist in the tail worked against Harry as Newquay’s Dale Foster found the score in the dying seconds to deny Harry a notable double.

Nevertheless, it has been a good month for Harry, and his confidence is high as he goes into his winter training schedule.

The Season Ends

The Season Ends

by Nog General Club News Groms

Last weekend saw the final Saturday of the season for the Kids Club with groups 1 to 4 enjoying a  morning in the surf before gathering to receive their Junior Surfer Scheme log books with Level One completed by all participants. The coaches  also had the difficult task of deciding award winners for each group – and there were many more deserving of prizes than there were trophies to hand out! So without further ado, let’s look at the winners:

 

Group One Award Winners

 

Group One Surfer of the Summer award went to Fletcher Saint. The Most Committed Surfer Award went to Leo Kirk-Mackrell. And The Most Improved Surfer was Teddy Nichols.

 

Group Two

 

Group Two Surfer of the Summer was Sofia Hosking. The Most Committed Surfer award went to Kaitlyn Borghi. And The Most Improved Surfer was Luca Czerwinski.

 

Group Three Award Winners

 

 

Group Three Surfer of the Summer was Kitty Lees. The Most Committed Surfer Award went to Alexander Hosking. And The Most Improved Surfer was Kaya Stattkus.

 

Group Four Award Winners

 

Group Four Surfer of the Summer was Nicholas Wood. The Most Committed Surfer was James Marsden. And the Most Improved Surfer award was won by Molly Cross.

 

We are still waiting for a season finale contest for Groups 5,6 and 7. That will be called when we see a suitable swell forecast. Watch the Facebook page for an update on that!

On behalf of Saints Boardriders I offer our heartfelt thanks to Harris and Jenna of St. Ives Surf School for their unstinting support for our club. A further massive thank you is due to the dozen or more coaches who give their time freely on a Saturday morning to enable our Kids Club to develop our junior surfers. And a thank you also to those family members who offer their help with check-ins, administration and the general business of making Saturday mornings run smoothly.

Follow us on Facebook to keep abreast of club news, and expect a shout-out with regard to registration for Kids Club 2015 around April time. Maybe see you in the sea at Porthmeor in the meantime! Have a good winter, regards from The Committee.

 

It’s What Groms Do!

It’s What Groms Do!

by Nog General Club News Groms

We mature, well-balanced adults would have nothing to moan about if it wasn’t for the groms in our lives. They hang around the surf school leaving their clothes strewn about and their half-eaten lunches abandoned for the gulls to attack. They play football games that ransack numerous family camps in the vicinity, or boules games that soon come to resemble Dambuster bombing raids! And having been under our feet the whole day they are mysteriously missing when a parent turns up to take their little treasure home!

Just occasionally a grom will provide one of those priceless moments that more than rewards us for those petty annoyances – and one such event happened this week when Harris’ nephews brightened a drowsy afternoon by inventing the new sport of Bin Snorkelling as seen in the picture above. The delights of exploring the azure seas of Porthmeor must have lost their allure when the murky contents of the wetsuit washbin offer a more interesting prospect.

Similarly, Fion, a firm favourite of everyone at the school, decided to step up his progression from scooter to bike to skateboard by donning Todger’s motorbike helmet in readiness for his next step. Anyone got any XXS bike leathers for sale?

Get your motor running

Get your motor running

 

 

Such behaviour should not be encouraged by responsible adults!